Every so often, Genesius Guild's end-of-summer comedy isn't the traditionally silly, over-the-top production that mostly forsakes a story-driven plot. Such is the case with this year’s comedic romp Plutus. During Saturday’s take on Aristophanes' original text, I found myself as interested in the outcomes of the characters as I did in director/adapter Don Wooten's mockery of local icons and current events. Sometimes more so.

This year, Genesius Guild’s annual Greek tragedy is a double-feature, as the local theatrical organization presents Aeschylus’ The Suppliants and The Persians – two plays for the price of one (which is still free). With each piece running less than an hour, the entire evening’s entertainment, even with intermission, falls just short of two hours, giving audiences one partial hour of what frequent Guild patrons expect from the group’s Greek tragedies, and one partial hour of some very welcome, though relatively minor, changes.

I am not a fan of the murder-mystery-comedy genre – but make the show a musical, and I’m not only interested, but eager to see it. Such is the case with Augustana College’s Something’s Afoot, a song-filled, murder-mystery romp reminiscent of an Agatha Christie story. Though not bad, the songs by James McDonald, David Vos, and Robert Gerlach, for the most part, aren’t great, nor particularly memorable. But happily, the production as a whole is still amusing from beginning to satisfying-and-unexpected end.

This year’s end-of-season Greek comedy by Genesius Guild, The Acharnians, is high on political humor, musical numbers, and sharply funny barbs at the expense of local organizations – especially Genesis Health System and Trinity Regional Health System (now UnityPoint Health) – and the cities of Moline, Davenport, and Rock Island. And I was smiling from ear to ear during almost the entirety of Saturday’s performance, tickled by the clever jokes, amusing songs, and even the groan-worthy puns.